In my prior patent application I disclosed the concept of a bioabsorbable, hemostatic sheath to be used with any suitable mechanism for in situ positioning of the sheath which would prevent hemorrhagic complications arising from the puncturing/cutting operation performed by the surgical instrument to which the sheath was attached. Since that discovery, further experimentation has disclosed further extensions and modifications of the sheath concept which will be subsequently disclosed and also, further adaptations and utilization of the bioabsorbable gelatin material discussed in my prior application.
More specifically, in today's hospital environment used hypodermic needles and the like present a far greater health concern today than in the past. The presence of certain transmittable viruses, diseases, etc. such as AIDS have caused stringent procedures adopted by health professionals to avoid being inadvertently punctured by needles, specifically hypodermic needles, used to provide medication to AIDS inflicted patients. This problem is known to not only affect health professionals, but also drug addicts who typically "share" hypodermic needles and others who simply have to handle the needles during the disposal process. To avoid this, hospitals not only have had to take special precautions concerning the use of the needles and the like by its staff but also have had to take special precautions in the disposal of the needles which are a toxic and/or hazardous waste. Accordingly, there is a definitive need for a medical needle which, after it is initially used to inject medication into the patient, is rendered unusable in the sense that the needle is no longer capable of puncturing the skin.
With respect to the in situ bioabsorbable sheath disclosed in my prior patent application, there are applications where either the organ or tissue punctured by the surgical instrument cannot tolerate the presence of a foreign object (or the presence of a foreign object is not advisable), even a bioabsorbable one. On the other hand, there are other surgical applications which not only can tolerate the presence of a foreign object but which must use the foreign object to provide an access to the organ or the tissue punctured by the needle or surgical instrument. The bioabsorbable sheath cannot provide such an access. While both applications are somewhat unrelated, there is always present hemorrhagic concerns resulting from the puncture of the tissue and/or organ by the needle or surgical instrument.